Marc Webb to Direct ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ Pilot at Showtime

Though there still seem to be a lot of divisive opinions on The Amazing Spider-Man 2, not too many will argue against director Marc Webb’s fantastic directorial debut (500) Days of Summer. And thankfully, he’s returning to the romantic comedy genre, but this time on the small screen.

Showtime has just announced a pilot order for “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” a half-hour comedy series that also has musical elements. The Devil Wears Prada and Annie remake writer Aline Brosh McKenna is co-creator of the new series along with “Robot Chicken” writer and voice actress Rachel Bloom, and both will executive produce and write the series with the latter also taking the starring role.

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” will follow Bloom (seen below) as Rebecca, a successful, driven, and possibly crazy young woman who impulsively gives up a partnership at a prestigious law firm and her upscale apartment in Manhattan in order to finally find love and happiness in the exotic hotbed of romance and adventure that is West Covina, California. So it’s not quite a fairytale, but neither was (500) Days of Summer.

Here’s what Showtime’s president David Nevins said about the project:

‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is built on the inspired comedy and songwriting of Rachel Bloom – who we believe is ready to break out. She was introduced to us by Aline Brosh McKenna, who has a brilliant, contemporary comedy voice that is spot on as showrunner of this project. And, we were lucky to attract director Marc Webb who is eager to flex different creative muscles after his blockbuster successes.

In addition, Brosh McKenna hypes up the talents of Bloom saying, “I am so happy to be working with Rachel Bloom, who is not just a powerhouse musical comedy talent, but also a fabulous writer and creator – I feel very lucky to have found her videos online.” If you’re looking for a taste of Bloom’s musical comedy talents, check out this little ditty:

Having Webb on board this project is particularly exciting, because he made the aforementioned unconventional non-romance so damn good. And this particular sequence from his film starring Joseph Gordon-Levvit and Zooey Deschanel has us excited to see what he can do with the musical elements mentioned in the press release:

The pilot will be shot this fall, and we’ll definitely be keeping our ears to the ground to hear more.

Some of his favorite films include Ghostbusters, The Empire Strikes Back and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, while his favorite TV series include LOST, Mad Men, 30 Rock, Parks & Recreation, Arrested Development and Saturday Night Live.